Like most other dangerous wildlife ownership laws in the United States, including those pertaining to bears, big cats, and reptiles, the legislation dictating private ownership of primates varies substantially between each state. While 21 states have already explicitly banned private ownership of all primate species, the legislation differs drastically between the remaining 29 states: 13 states require a permit or license; six states require disease testing; and six states partially ban or require permits for select species. Nine states do not have any permit or licensing requirements relating to primates whatsoever.
Further, most ownership permits are incredibly easy to obtain, with little to no evidence of species-specific animal handling experience, demonstrated wildlife knowledge, secure housing, appropriate diet, or ability to provide medical care required before the state grants legal ownership.
The Dangerous Consequences of Inconsistent Laws
This inconsistent legislation and clear failure to provide regulation oversight enables unequipped people to own and interact with dangerous primates, including chimpanzees like the 200-lb adult male Travis, who almost killed his owner’s friend Charla Nash during a traumatic near-fatal attack. The attack was stopped only when police officers arrived at the scene and shot him dead. Larger primate species are not the only ones that pose significant risk to the public; these dangers are demonstrated by all sizes of primates, from apes to some of the smallest species, including marmosets and squirrel monkeys. While the average person may perceive smaller species as relatively harmless, uncontrollable and aggressive incidents resulting in human injury reported by private owners indicate the opposite.
For example, in Asheville, North Carolina, a pet marmoset escaped and attacked three neighbors. The monkey was then killed by animal control officers. In Lansing, Illinois, a nine-year-old pet macaque named Zip attacked his owner. His canines latched into her head, arms, and legs. She spent ten days in the hospital and lost a pint and a half of blood. This was not Zip’s first attack; he had attacked the owner and family dog prior to this incident. He was ultimately killed as a result of the multiple attacks. In Tampa, Florida, a pet capuchin named Angel was displaying affectionate behavior towards her owner. When her owner attempted to return her to the cage, Angel bit her 50 times on her hands, arms, and right leg. Her owner required stitches. Lastly, in Shawano, Wisconsin, a woman suffered permanent nerve damage to her hand and now lives with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a pet lemur attack. The same pet lemur subsequently attacked another woman, who required stitches in her hand.
Zoos and Other Facilities Offer Dangerous Encounters with Primates
Disturbingly, many zoos encourage open-contact interactions with some of the same species responsible for the above-mentioned aggressive incidents. While researching for our Public Danger, Private Pain report, we found 30 zoos in the United States that offer experiences with primates, including animal encounters (where people can pet, hold, feed, and/or touch the primates), photo ops, and open-contact walk-throughs. Most of the facilities promote these experiences under the guise of supporting wildlife conservation and using the animals to “educate” audiences about the species in the wild, disregarding the potential risks posed by such interactions including transmissible diseases and physical injury.
Further, numerous dangerous incidents have occurred at zoos in the United States. According to Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database, 31 incidents have occurred at zoos over the past several years resulting in human injury. At the Miami Metrozoo in Florida, a female orangutan grabbed a veterinarian through the bars of her holding cage during treatment for a small foot wound. The orangutan pulled the woman’s arm through the bars, bit her arm, and crushed her bones, which required immediate medical attention at the hospital. At Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm and Petting Zoo in South Barrington, Illinois, a baboon attacked a 4-year-old girl at a petting zoo, leaving permanent scars on her arms. At the Toledo Zoo in Ohio, an orangutan bit a zoo volunteer and detached her thumb when she reached through a barrier during feeding time. At the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, Praline, a female gorilla, threw a block of wood at a crowd of spectators. It hit a pregnant woman, sending her to the hospital.
A Federal Solution Is Needed to End Close Encounters with Captive Primates
In short, keeping and interacting with primates always has the potential to end badly. These incidents are made increasingly more likely to occur while zoos and other similar facilities that offer interactive animal experiences actively encourage close contact between nonhuman primates and people. The patchwork of state and municipal laws currently in place across the U.S. is not sufficient; a federal solution is needed. That is why Born Free USA supports the Captive Primate Safety Act, a bill to ban private ownership of and public contact with primates. Born Free USA has been working on this bill for years and its passage is vital to protect public health and safety, and animal welfare.
Learn More
For more information on the dangers of captive primates and how private ownership affects their individual welfare and populations in the wild, please read and share our most recent report, Public Danger, Private Pain.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan
